A baluster can be any of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing. A baluster can be any of various symmetrical supports, as furniture legs or spindles, that tend to swell toward the bottom or top. A baluster is typically an upright member. It can be rounded or vase-shaped. It can be referred to as a supporting post, such as a supporting post for a handrail. A conventional material for a baluster is wood. Wood can be readily shaped to be round, conical, or square in section, or have some other shape. A baluster can be square in section, circular in section, or polygonal in section. A baluster can be turned or ornamented. A baluster can be narrow or wide. A baluster can be a miniature column or a bellied, bulbed type of colonette. The thickest and thinnest parts of the baluster can be referred to as the belly and sleeve, respectively.
A balustrade is a railing with supporting balusters. A balustrade is a rail and the row of balusters or posts that support it, as along the front of a gallery.
A newel or a newel post is a post supporting one end of a handrail at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs. A newel is a central pillar or upright from which the steps of a winding stair radiate. A newel can be a vertical support at the center of a circular staircase. A newel can be a post that supports a handrail at the bottom or at the landing of a staircase. There are standard newells, double newells, and box newells.
A banister is defined as a handrail, especially a hand rail on a staircase. A banister is also defined as a handrail together with its supporting structures. A banister can also refer to one of the vertical supports of a handrail, such as a baluster.
Spindle has many definitions. A spindle can be a rounded rod, usually of wood, tapering toward each end. A spindle can be used in hand-spinning to twist into thread the fibers drawn from the mass on the distaff, and on which the thread is wound as it is spun. A spindle can be a vertical shaft that serves to center a phonograph record on a turntable.